Gippsland Tourism Conference 2011 - Preparing your business for the future

Destination Gippsland's Tourism Conference was held Monday 18 & 19 July in Traralgon. Over 90 stakeholders from the Gippsland tourism industry attended for two days of professional development and networking.

The theme of the conference was ‘Preparing your business for the future’. The conference brought together tourism industry representatives from across the region to hear presentations from a range of tourism experts and industry leaders.  It also gave attendees the opportunity to strengthen business networks and connect with other like minded tourism businesses from all over Gippsland.

 The event received excellent feedback by the attendees:  
• The average overall rating for the conference was excellent scoring 4.2 out of 5
• 95% of attendees felt that the conference either met or exceeded their expectations
• 97% of attendees felt they were likely or very-likely to return

Guest Speaker Presentations

Paul Higgins Futurist -  Emergent Futures
View Presentation - Future challenges for tourism

Dorana Wirne - General Manager Destination and Product Marketing, Tourism Victoria
View Presentation - Tourism Victoria Update  

Michele Levine - CEO Roy Morgan Research
View Presentation - State of the Nation

Richard Cornish - Writer, Producer, Creative Director
View presentation - Dealing with media

Michael Hauser -  eMarketing Manager, Tourism Victoria
View presentation - Tourism online marketing update

Sam Saltis - Managing Director, bwired
View presentation -Web Strategy FY12

Terry Robinson - CEO, Destination Gippsland
View presentation - Destination Gippsland overview

Day 2

Tom Smith - Regional Tourism Advisor, Tourism Victoria
View presentation - Regional Tourism Board Review

Terry Robinson - CEO, Destination Gippsland
View presentation - What could future tourism marketing look like?

Further information

Broadband communications:
The Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy has developed a site as part of its commitment to maximise the benefits of the digital economy for all Australians.
For more information about the Department’s work on the digital economy, see: www.dbcde.gov.au/digital_economy or contact Stephen Pykett, Regional Broadband Coordinator: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Victorian Competition and Efficiency Commission (VCEC):
Victoria’s tourism industry is an important part of the State’s economy, but it is facing intense competitive pressures from the appreciating Australian dollar and from other Australian and international destinations. Reflecting these pressures, Australian governments have been examining ways to support the continued development of the industry.
To view VCEC's draft report on Unlocking Victorian Tourism click here.
To view VCEC's draft overview and reccomendations click here.
To view Destination Gippsland's response to this report click here.

Expressions of Interest for Destination Gippsland Board Positions:
Expressions of Interest are now sought for the appointments of up to seven skills based Board Directors for terms that will be for either one, two or three years based on the Board’s rotation system of governance.  Please note that the terms of current Board Directors are about to expire and all are eligible for reappointment.
Click here to download the application form.

Websites of interest from the conference:
• Realtimefarms.com: Know Where Your Food Comes From. Real Time Farms helps you understand where your food comes from. You can learn about farms in your area, and see where you can get their goods at farmers markets, farm stands, and restaurants around your area
• airbnb.com - User generated booking service offering private accommodation options
• Livingsocial.com - Daily coupon website
• plus.google.com - Googles answer to Facebook
• fiverr.com - The place for people to share things they're willing to do for $5
• Nimble.com - Easily manage your contacts, calendars, communications, and social conversations with Nimble's social CRM
• howsociable.com - Brand visibility metrics.